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Updated: Jun 4, 2025
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Precise, High-throughput Analysis of Bacterial Growth
Published on: September 19, 2017
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Bacterial Growth Temperature as a Horizontally Acquired Polygenic Trait
Anne A Farrell1, Camilla L Nesbø2,3, Olga Zhaxybayeva1,4
1Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
Genome Biology and Evolution
|December 26, 2024
Summary
The study reveals that bacteria adapt to different temperatures by gaining or losing genes, with horizontal gene transfer playing a key role in evolving specific growth temperatures.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Understanding the evolution of optimal growth temperatures in organisms is crucial.
- The genetic basis for adaptation to specific temperatures remains largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary history of optimal growth temperatures in the Thermotogota phylum.
- To identify genes associated with adaptation to different temperature ranges.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis of 64 bacteria from the Thermotogota phylum.
- Gene gain and loss modeling throughout evolutionary history.
- Pangenome-wide association study to correlate gene presence/absence with growth temperature.
Main Results:
- The last common ancestor of Thermotogota was thermophilic; mesophilic and hyperthermophilic lifestyles evolved secondarily.
- Adaptation to temperature involves both gene acquisition and loss.
- 68 genes, primarily involved in metabolism and gene regulation, were associated with specific growth temperatures, many acquired via horizontal gene transfer.
Conclusions:
- Evolutionary temperature adaptation in Thermotogota is driven by gene acquisition and loss.
- Horizontal gene transfer facilitates independent adaptation to similar temperatures across different species.
Keywords:
Thermotogotalast common ancestormesophilymicrobial genome-wide association studythermoadaptationthermophilyMore Related Videos
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